Philipsen and the constant Van der Poel dilemma, yellow card fears, and now also Pogacar in his playing field

Philipsen will begin his season at the UAE Tour, where he last raced in 2022. Back then, he won two stages, beating Olav Kooij (then 20) and Jonathan Milan (then 21). At the time, Philipsen himself was 23. Now, he hopes to repeat that early success, this time against his former teammate Tim Merlier. "I’m following a different preparation than the past two years," says Philipsen. "That also includes our altitude training camp we are doing now."(at the Syncrosfera Hotel, run by former pro Alexandr Kolobnev, ed.)

Thanks to a calendar shift, the UAE Tour has managed to attract the world’s best sprinters. "Because the UAE Tour takes place one week earlier than in previous years, it’s easier to combine it with the opening weekend," he explains. "This way, I’ll already have some race rhythm before the Belgian races. Now, I’ll try to perform better that weekend, which has been challenging in previous years. A week of racing is always a bit different than just training. It allows me to push myself more than I could in training."

That doesn’t mean Jasper Philipsen is heading to the United Arab Emirates just to gain race rhythm. "I’m looking forward to testing myself again in the sprints. There are always new young sprinters coming up. But it’s not like I feel extra pressure just because Kooij, Milan, and Merlier have already won this season. I mainly try to focus on myself. The UAE Tour is really a preparation race for me, so if I don’t win right away, I won’t panic. But of course, winning early is always good for morale."

While the UAE Tour isn’t a major target, the first Flemish races definitely are. "The opening weekend is my first real goal, with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and then Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne—which happens to be on my 27th birthday. That always gives me a little extra motivation," Philipsen laughs.

Despite targeting opening weekend, the Tour of Flanders is not part of Philipsen’s schedule. "No, normally not. I actually enjoy watching the Tour of Flanders from my couch," he laughs. *"It’s still the real Flemish pinnacle of cycling. Of course, I’d love to be there, but only if I feel like I can win. I have no ambition to race just to finish somewhere in the top ten. Guys like Van der Poel and Pogacar completely dominate that race. Riders like me simply aren’t strong enough to compete with them in those races."*

Two other Monuments remain key targets for Philipsen. Last year, he already won 'La Primavera'. "In the period of Milan-San Remo to Paris-Roubaix, I try to be in top shape. My goal is to win a race, just like I did last year in Milan-San Remo. I have to take my chances when they come. If that means winning in Gent-Wevelgem or somewhere else this year, that’s fine too. Gent-Wevelgem has been a race I’ve talked about for a long time, but it’s never really worked out for me so far."

For Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix, it’s clear that both Philipsen and Van der Poel will be at the start line. Two top favorites in the same team—isn’t that a disadvantage of riding with such a super star in the team? "So far, I’ve always seen it as an advantage," Philipsen says. *"I really enjoy racing with him in the team. Not just on the bike, but also off it, I think he contributes to a great atmosphere. I also believe he genuinely wants me to succeed, and it’s the same the other way around. So I don’t see a problem there."*

Last year, Van der Poel wasn’t at his best in Milan-San Remo—it was his first race of the season. He neutralized Pogacar’s attack on the Poggio, but he didn’t take over and instead helped close gaps in support of Philipsen, who ultimately took the win. This year, however, Van der Poel seems set to arrive in peak form. He is racing Tirreno-Adriatico as part of his preparation. How does that change things for Philipsen? "Last year, that situation worked in my favor. But if he’s in top shape this year, he probably won’t wait until Via Roma like last year. He’ll try something before that. And if he goes all-in on the Poggio, I probably won’t be able to follow," Philipsen laughs.

After the spring classics, Philipsen’s main focus will once again be the Tour de France. Last year, the start of the Tour was tough for him—he was disqualified in the early stages and had to wait longer than expected for his first stage win. In the end, he won three stages, but he left empty-handed in the green jersey battle. What lessons did he learn from last year’s Tour? "The preparation will need to be a bit different," he says. "I’ll either have to be strong from the start or peak later. Last year, the team expected a tough opening and planned for my best form to arrive in the third week. But by then, I had already lost too many points for the green jersey in the early stages. I think it’s always about finding the right balance."*

During the first week of the Tour, Philipsen found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. He was relegated in a stage where he finished second after deviating from his line and obstructing other riders. As a result, he also lost points in the green jersey classification. "The relegation in the first week was a low point of my Tour last year. But these are the kinds of things you go through, and you try to learn and come back stronger. After my first stage win, I got into a much better flow, and in cycling, you often see that once the momentum shifts, things start to go more smoothly."

To discourage dangerous riding, the UCI has introduced a yellow card system this year. However, Philipsen is undecided about it for now. "I still need to properly look into the system," he says. "Some say it’s not that bad, while others think it’s quite strict. Of course, I hope to avoid getting one, but I also feel that sprints are always heavily scrutinized and well-documented on camera. That means there’s very little margin for error in a sprint, whereas in the other 190 kilometers of a race, the margin for error is much bigger."*

When asked whether he supports the system, Philipsen remains cautious. "It’s hard to say. The most important thing is that it’s applied consistently. Commissaires only judge based on what they see on camera or what they witness themselves. Everything that happens off-camera gets overlooked. In football, it’s much easier to keep an overview, but in cycling, that’s a lot more difficult."